There are endless treatments for scars – lotions and gels, ointments and injections. They’re stuffed into pharmacy aisles and online inventories alike, promising fast results and easy healing. However, two of these treatments manage to keep those promises.

Silicone creams and silicone sheets counter the effects of scarring. They both relieve inflammation while also decreasing rigidity and improving elasticity. They also both deliver concentrated polymers to the skin, improving its appearance, texture, and collagen responses. This makes them ideal for treatment – but which is best?

What is Silicone’s Effect on Scars?

Silicone proves essential in the healing process. It infuses the skin with key amines (organic nitrogen-based compounds) to maintain proper hydration and oxygenation levels. It also interrupts the body’s excessive collagen composition, stabilizing levels to reduce the build-up of tissue. This ensures that scars heal quickly and minimizes their overall appearance.

Silicone cream, as its name suggests, is a spreadable topical formulation fortified with silicone. It allows for direct skin contact, with individuals applying it to their scar sites. This introduces amines into the body and expedites healing.

A silicone sheet is an adhesive product. It’s a two-sided design similar to a bandage that combines a latex shell with silicone gel padding. This padding rests against the scar and delivers steady nutrients throughout the day. It’s typically reusable.

The effectiveness of silicone creams and sheets are undeniable. Both products, according to studies conducted by Dr. Thomas A. Mustoe, a member of the Feinberg School of Medicine, promote accelerated healing within the body and reduce the effects of scarring. They’re useful against keloids, hypertrophic scars, contractures, and more. However, one does offer distinct advantages over the other.

Silicone creams are more efficient for daily use. Their lightweight formulas absorb directly into the skin, rather than requiring adhesives (which can roll, twist, or come undone.) Cream is easily used with other topical options such as sun block, make-up, moisturizers, or cleansers, and they’re undetectable. It’s also easily applied to facial areas, where sheets often prove cumbersome. These benefits make them ideal for the treatment of new and old scars alike.

Silicone creams offer the same advantages as silicone sheets, but are much easier to use. Some individuals, however, may require more extensive procedures to treat their scars – such as dermabrasion, micro-needling, chemical peels, facial revisions, and more. Be sure to consult with a physician if you have a very complex scar.

Scar tissue is a normal part of the skin’s healing process from any wound, including those caused by surgeries or accidents. Scars form because the collagen production works quickly after the skin has been wounded to mend the injury and protect the body from any further injury or infection. Since it goes through a more rapid healing process, the tissue does not have the exact same makeup of normal skin cells, which is why it looks different. (Read: Why Scar Tissue is Different from Normal Tissue.) Many variables influence the look of scars, including the size, depth and shape of the wound, as well as how much blood is able to visit the area during the healing process. Luckily, there are easy prevention methods to ensure that your injury or surgery does not end with a lifelong reminder in the form of a visible scar.

Do Get Stitches

Deep wounds, or cuts that can spread apart, heal faster and better when stitched by a professional doctor as soon as possible after the injury. Stitches minimize the wound area and make it easier for the body to heal the injury. This reduces the area of new skin forming, which minimizes the amount of scar tissue.

Do Protect the Wound

When you have a wound, you should keep it moist to prevent scabbing and allow the healing process to commence by applying a first aid cream like Neosporin. You should also keep it covered with a non-stick bandage to protect further injury and keep it from drying out. Once you see new skin forming, you can stop covering it with a bandage and begin applying your scar treatment.

Gentle massage should start as soon as it’s tolerable, usually a couple of weeks after the skin has healed over. Massaging your scar breaks up the collagen and reduces the size of scar tissue forming; use the time when applying your scar treatment to massage the newly formed scar.

When you wait for your injury or wound to heal, be patient. You should not pick at any scabs or use hydrogen peroxide. Although hydrogen peroxide provides beneficial first aid to the initial wound, subsequent use kills both good skin cells as well as bacteria making the wound more susceptible to infection. Instead, just allow the body to heal naturally. It takes 1-2 years for a scar to fully mature and there is no quick fix despite what you’ve heard.

Don’t Linger in the Sun

The damaging ultraviolet rays of the sun can interrupt the healing process, making it more likely that you will develop a scar. Additionally, UV rays discolor the scar tissue by stimulating pigment-producing cells. Skin is more vulnerable to discoloration when it is healing, so it is even more important to protect the area from the sun by covering it up with clothing or using sunscreen.

Have a question about your scar? Leave a comment and we’ll be happy to answer!

Scar tissue is a natural part of the body’s healing mechanism. When any part of the body receives an injury, it will work quickly to heal the injury. This repair process creates scar tissue. Scar tissue acts differently than normal tissue, and it may contain damaged cells, which is why it looks different than the tissue around it. Although most people think scars only affect the skin’s surface, scar tissue can also occur on any tissue in the body, including internal organs.

Although it is part of the healing process, scar tissue may end up causing problems, especially when it leads to adhesions. For most people, scar tissue causes most problems on the skin itself by leaving a life-long reminder of the surgery. By knowing what to expect after surgery, you can minimize the appearance of scars and other potential complications, including helping to reduce the time a scar takes to fade.

Scar Tissue on the Skin

Surgery typically includes an incision of the skin, usually extending through all the layers of the skin. Surgeons try to minimize the size of their incisions to reduce the amount of scar tissue that develops. The main factors determining the amount of scarring after surgery, beyond the skill level of the doctor, are age, race, genetic makeup, the size and depth of the incision, and the extent of the surgery. Initially, scar tissue will be pink, red or purple, due to the injury to the blood vessels and the inflammatory response that is part of the body’s reaction to any injury.

Over time, as the skin heals, scarring will fade and become closer to your skin’s natural pigmentation. However, many scars also turn white due to damage to the cells that control pigmentation. After surgery, the incision area will be sensitive and weaker than normal skin, so you should rest and avoid any movement or stress that could place too much stress on the healing incision.

What are Adhesions?

Although most people only focus on scar tissue after surgery on the skin, surgery can also cause internal scar tissue called adhesions. An adhesion is scar tissue that binds together two pieces of internal tissue or organs, even if they are not supposed to be connected. This distorts the normal internal anatomy, which can then cause problems.

The most common areas of adhesions are in the abdomen, heart and the pelvic area. Almost 93 percent of patients who undergo any type of pelvic or abdominal surgery end up with adhesions. Adhesions can be thin sheets of the tissue that may look similar to plastic wrap or strong, fibrous bands that can cause serious complications. Most adhesions are harmless and will go away on their own, but some adhesions can lead to complications and further problems.

How to Minimize the Appearance of Scars

Although doctors do everything they can to minimize any scar tissue, there are some actions you can take to prevent or minimize their appearance. Scars develop as part of the body’s natural healing processes. The faster and more efficiently the body heals, the reduced risk of scarring, or the faster it will take for the scar to go away. By avoiding smoking and drinking, eating a healthy diet, and staying hydrated, you will provide the body with the best foundation to heal properly. You should also practice proper wound care, which includes keeping your fresh scar covered and out of the sun, as well as following all your doctor’s instructions. It takes time for the skin to fully heal and for the scar to mature and look its best, often up to a year or even two. By taking appropriate care of your fresh scar and yourself, and using a good scar minimizing cream once the skin has healed, you’ll give your scar the best chance of fading.

Do you have a question about your scars? Leave a comment and we’ll be happy to help.

If you are planning to have any type of surgery, whether it is elective or not, you may be wondering what to expect concerning your scar. Most surgical procedures will leave some type of scar, and these scars do indeed change quite a bit after the surgery and over time.

Scar tissue is not as strong as normal skin. For several weeks after the surgery takes place, it is easy to reopen a wound through minimal accidental trauma. By the time six weeks have passed, if normal healing is taking place, the scar tissue has about half the strength it will ever gain. The scar’s final ability to withstand trauma or injury gradually increases over the next one to two years. However, it will never regain the normal strength of uninjured skin.

Most of the collagen, which is the main component of scar tissue, has formed in the area by four to six weeks after the wound has closed and begun to heal. The scar will usually appear firm, red, and raised during this time. The rate of collagen production will change over the next several months. When healing is normal, normal amounts and types of collagen are present in the area. The redness of the scar fading and the scar itself beginning to soften are also signs of normal healing. Most patients can expect it to take at least one year for the scar’s final appearance to become apparent. In children, scars may continue to change for several years.

If you are unhappy with the red appearance of a scar, and it is a relatively new scar, realize that it will likely fade a good deal on its own (although not disappear completely; scars are permanent). Be sure to avoid exposing the scar to sunlight; use sunscreen, cover the scar with clothing, or stay indoors. UV rays do not only damage normal skin; they also damage scar tissue and can make it look darker or redder. These changes are sometimes permanent.

You can also cover a scar with makeup in some cases. If the sutures have been removed and the wound is healed, you can gently apply concealer or other makeup to conceal the scar as it heals. Remember that makeup by itself does not protect the scar from sun damage; also use sunscreen, or choose a makeup that contains sunscreen as one of its ingredients.

Scars do change in appearance significantly after surgery, as time passes and the scar begins to heal. Keep in mind that how much your scar changes, and what type of changes you notice, depend largely on how you care for the scar as it heals, your diet and lifestyle choices, and whether you are darker or lighter skinned. Be sure to exercise regularly (once you’re cleared by your doctor to do so) and eat a healthy diet; also use scar treatment products that contain ingredients known to help scars fade and soften, such as silicone and Vitamin C. Following these and other steps for scar healing will ensure that the kinds of changes you see in your post-surgical scar are the ones you want.

Do you have a question about your scar? Leave us a comment and we’ll be happy to answer.

Mastectomy scars can, unfortunately, be quite extensive. If breast reconstruction is not performed at the same time as the mastectomy, the resulting scars can be quite long, running from next to the breastbone to the side of the chest or armpit area. Along with restoring the size and shape of the breast, reconstruction also helps limits scarring when performed at the same time as the mastectomy. Some types of reconstruction can also increase the amount of overall scarring: if the patient’s own tissue is used for the reconstruction instead of implants (eg from the woman’s back, abdomen, buttocks or thighs), additional scarring is created at the site of the tissue harvest.

Scars are not only a cosmetic concern. Some scars can cause pain, tightness, or itching. You will want to do everything you can to minimize the scarring caused by your mastectomy to enhance the way you look and feel.

One of the most important things you can do to minimize scarring is to prevent infection in the post-surgery period. Patients are often sent home from surgery with drains that remove excess fluids from the area. These drains are usually removed a few days later. Once this happens, you should keep the incision as clean as you can so that it can continue to heal fully. Follow your doctor’s instructions for bandaging and cleaning the area. Infection can not only put the reconstruction at risk (especially reconstruction with implants), it will also worsen scarring, so decreasing the chances of developing an infection is very important.

Massaging the scar after it has fully healed can help by breaking down scar tissue and improving blood flow. This helps soften the scar and also brings more oxygen and nutrients to the wound which can promote healing and reduce scarring. Be sure to get the “all-clear” from your doc before starting scar massage to ensure your incisions are ready.

It is also important to eat a healthy diet and stay well hydrated while your are healing. This will help in several ways. First, staying well hydrated means more moisture in your skin and at the site of the scars. Skin moisture improves healing. Some of the nutrients you eat can also work to lessen the appearance of scars. Ingredients known to be helpful for healing include vitamins A and C, zinc, and protein. Finally, a healthy diet and proper hydration will promote overall health, helping you feel better, faster after surgery.

Feeling better means you may feel more like exercising once given the all-clear by your surgeon. Aerobic exercise increases blood flow and improves healing. After a mastectomy, you may not feel like doing much at first. Even if you can only walk for a few minutes, that’s a start! Slowly build back up to a level of exercise that you and your doctor are comfortable with.

Also try a silicone-containing gel. Topical silicone has been shown to reduce the appearance of scars, making them lighter, flatter, and softer. Follow the instructions that come with the product you choose. Stick with the recommended frequency and duration of treatment for the best results.